Not today Death

He accepted her help, for the most part, and though he didn’t take as much of her support as he could have – and maybe should have – she didn’t press him to accept further. He started as Ayodele bolted off, and Aurielle smiled slightly to herself. Either he’d never seen a lemur before, hadn’t seen Ayodele there before, or he’d never heard of other animals becoming one’s companion.

She dipped her head at his promise to repay her for her help, though she, privately, did this with no wish for repayment. Sure, in a political point of view, being owed debts was better than owing them, but she preferred genuine bonds. “It’s a pleasure, indeed, Drachen; probably far more of one once you’re feeling better”

A woman came upon them, and Aurielle’s head cocked slightly at the remark about a fire, and the request to join. However, she smiled, nodding. “I don’t see why not. If you can find any dry driftwood here, that would be truly helpful.”

Ayodele returned, waving to urge Aurielle forward, and the woman followed steadily, near enough to support Drachen if needed, until the lemur showed the trio to the spot she’d found, backed against the cliff and under a ledge, sheltered from any adverse weather and beyond the reach of the tide. The lemur had already gathered a decent enough pile of sticks and kindling, and Aurielle, once ensuring that Drachen was steady enough, moved to a good spot where the smoke was likely to blow out rather than in once the fire was going.

She twisted and plucked a bull’s horn from two loops in her armor, uncapping it with her teeth as Ayodele set a nest of tinder and twigs. When it was ready, the glowing white wolf held the horn in her jaws, tilting her head and letting the live coal tumble out into the dry tinder.

Quickly, she blew on the coal, sending the tinder smoldering, then smoking, and then, with a pop and whoosh, catching fire. She gently coddled the newborn flame into a larger one, then let the ball of flaming tinder settle onto the ground while the lemur began to feed it.

The Spirit turned from the flame and set to further work, pulling out her healing kit, water-skin, a small tortoise shell, and a small package of dried meat. The larger saddle bags she tucked at the back of the cave. Those were for Theory and Abaven, so she wouldn’t dip into them.

The fire crackled merrily, contented for the moment with what Ayodele had managed to gather. It threw out plenty of heat, more than enough to dry a bedraggled fur coat.

While water slowly warmed in the shell by the fire, she settled easily, casting a look over the man and the as-yet unnamed female as she remarked, "Once the water's hot I'll get the tea going. It should help your stomach if you swallowed sea water. In the meantime, if you're hungry, there's dried meat in that package. Air-dried, not salted, so it shouldn't affect you adversely. As for injuries, where all do you hurt, and how badly?"

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think